Pneumatization of the intraorbital optic nerve after severe head trauma

Radiological evidence of pneumatization of the intraorbital optic nerve sheath following severe head trauma in an adult is reported. A young man was admitted to the emergency department following a high-speed motorcycle accident with unconsciousness, forehead laceration, and multiple fractures of the skull and extremities. On admission, the pupils were dilated and fixed. Computed tomography revealed right subdural hematoma with midline shift, brain stem hemorrhage, contusion of the left temporal lobe, multiple facial bone fractures, cerebral edema with intracerebral air, and meningeal pneumatization of the optic nerve sheaths bilaterally. This case demonstrates that after severe head trauma, air may extend in the optic nerve sheath, which could be a marker of severe optic nerve injury.